It is well known that the composite color video signals that are conventionally broadcast, for example in the NTSC format, contain not only picture information (luminance and chrominance components) but also timing information (vertical sync pulses and horizontal sync pulses) and other reference information (e.g. equalizing pulses and color burst). As shown in FIG. 1, the horizontal sync pulse 2 and burst 4 both occur in the horizontal blanking interval, i.e., the interval between the active line times of consecutive horizontal scan lines. The horizontal sync pulse is a negative-going pulse having an amplitude of 40 IRE units, the 50 percent point 6 of the leading edge of the sync pulse being regarded as the horizontal sync point. Burst follows the horizontal sync pulse in the horizontal blanking interval and comprises a sinusoidal wave. The peak-to-peak amplitude of the burst is 40 IRE units, and immediately before and after the burst the signal is at blanking level (zero IRE). The burst ideally has a sin-squared envelope, and builds up from, and decays to, blanking level within one or two cycles of the burst wave. In accordance with EIA (Electronics Industries Association) standard RS 170 A, the start of burst is defined by the zero-crossing (positive or negative slope) that precedes the first half cycle of subcarrier that is 50 percent or greater of the burst amplitude, i.e., 40 IRE. The reference subcarrier burst is used in the television receiver to control a phase-locked oscillator which generates a continuous wave at subcarrier frequency and is used to extract the chrominance information from the composite video signal.
Although the NTSC frame is made up of 525 lines which are scanned in two interlaced fields of 262.5 lines each, the NTSC color signal requires a four field sequence. In accordance with the definitions of the fields contained in standard RS 170 A, the zero crossing of the extrapolated color burst (the continuous wave at subcarrier frequency and in phase with burst) must be coincident with the sync point of the immediately preceding horizontal sync pulse on even numbered lines, and the pattern of sync and burst information for fields 1 and 3 is identical except for the phase of burst. Thus, in field 1, the positive-going zero crossing of the extrapolated color burst coincides with the sync point on even numbered lines whereas in field 3 it is the negative-going zero crossing that coincides with the sync point on even numbered lines. Standards such as that set forth in RS 170 A are required in order to facilitate matching between video signals from different sources and also to facilitate operation of video signal recording and processing equipment. Accordingly, in order to identify the different fields of the four field color sequence, and to adjust the subcarrier to horizontal sync (SC/H) phase so as to achieve the desired coincidence between the zero crossing point of the extrapolated color burst and the sync point, it is necessary to be able to measure the phase of the subcarrier burst relative to the sync point.
Several attempts have previously been made to measure SC/H phase. For example, using the Tektronix 1410 signal generator, it is possible to generate a subcarrier in the middle of an unused line. Since the leading edge of the equalizing pulses are midway between sync pulses, a measurement of subcarrier to horizontal phase can be implied by comparing the subcarrier with the equalizing pulse timing. Alternatively the 1410 signal generator can generate a burst phased subcarrier during horizontal blanking which replaces a sync pulse and which can be compared with the remaining sync pulses. However, this equipment is not always available to technicians who need to make SC/H phase measurements. The GVG 3258 SC/H phase meter provides a digital output of the phase difference between subcarrier and horizontal sync, but this again requires availability of dedicated equipment.
The vectorscope, which provides a polar display of the phase of signal components at subcarrier frequency, is commonly used by video engineers and technicians, but the conventional vectorscope cannot be used to measure SC/H phase.